I have spent the past 10 years looking for and photographing fungi in a very amateur sense, but have never seen this apparently "very common" species, assuming that is I am correct in my ID . After all it is neither black (actually dark brown and dark green) and was not growing on oak (actually on birch as far as I can tell)

Based on not always 100% safe internet photos I have found a few that look like mine so assume this is how it appears before it turns to fully black ?

Can someone confirm or otherwise that my decade long search is over .....

. . . it is neither black (actually dark brown and dark green) and was not growing on oak (actually on birch as far as I can tell) Can someone confirm or otherwise that my decade long search is over .....

Regards

John

Hi John
looks fine to me . . . I wouldn't worry too much about the English name - except of course that it only occurs in Bulgaria - I assume that's where you found it? Only joking ("it's good for morale" as they used to say on Bottom)
cheers
Chris

PS and it can occur on Betula as well - though rather infrequently . . .

Hi John
looks fine to me . . . I wouldn't worry too much about the English name - except of course that it only occurs in Bulgaria - I assume that's where you found it? Only joking ("it's good for morale" as they used to say on Bottom)
cheers
Chris

PS and it can occur on Betula as well - though rather infrequently . . .
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Hi Chris

Many thanks for the confirmation, at last I can tick that one off, probably means I will find it all the time now ...